DUDLEY CASTLE

     Dudley Castle is in the West Midlands of Central England--commonly called the "Black Country". The town, now called Dudley Metropolitan Bureau, is on a limestone ridge. The Castle is the central feature, although there are numerous canals throughout the area.

     Dudley Castle was built about 1070, during William the Conqueror's time, on land taken from Earl Edwin by the French Knight William Fitz Ansculf. It was most probably built of wood then, with earthworks, as most feudal castles were. It is first mentioned in 1086 in the Domesday Book, as follows:

"Wm. Fitz Ausculph held Dudley, where was a castle. Earl Edwin held this manor before. There was one hide. In the demesne was one carucate and three villans, and ten bordars, and a smith with ten carucates. There were two servants, and a wood two miles in extent. It was worth four pounds in Edward the Confessor's time; at the time of the survey only three pounds."

    We must remember that the castle took its name from the land (area) it was placed--not a family. Surnames were not the law, or even common, at that time. The castle is next seen during the reign of King Stephen (1135-1154) when he attacked Dudley, which was apparently a rebel fortress belonging to one Ralph de Paganel. That the castle was not besieged suggests that it may have been either rebuilt or at least refortified in stone. The town itself, however, was laid waste.

     Dudley Castle was demolished in 1175 when its owner, then Gervaise de Paganel, threw his lot in with the losing side in a rebellion against Henry II. For a hundred years afterward it was no more than a manor house. Until 1194 when the de Somery family inherited it by marriage, and in 1264 Roger de Somery was permitted to refortify it. Unfortunately, Roger ran out of money and began procuring some without the thought of asking for it, and he became known as a robber and extortionist. His Gatehouse and Keep were well built, though, and still survive.

     The de Sutton family take control in 1322, and remain there until the late 15th century. Again money became a problem, and John Sutton VI was the last to hold the Castle. His son, John de Sutton VII, lost the castle when, according to Dugdale in his "Baronage", John became "entangled in the usurers' bonds." However, there was another Dudley who had his eye on the Castle, and would stop at nothing to get it! His name was John Dudley, Viscount Lisle and Earl of Warwick (later, the Duke of Northumberland), and he used the money merchants to his advantage, affecting many mortgages, and seized control of the castle. Lord Dudley lost almost everything, and is now known to history as "Lord Quondam." (it should be noted here that at this time many of the Sutton's began taking the name Dudley as their surname)

   John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, became its owner. He rebuilt the castle on a grand scale, and most of the remains today are from his time. He began using the "Bear and Ragged Staff" as his device, and even issued some coinage. John was very influential in the courts of Henry VIII and Edward VI, but his downfall came when Edward VI died and he married his son Guilford to Lady Jane Grey, and attempted to take the throne of England. He succeeded, but only for nine days. He, Lady Jane, and Guilford, were all beheaded. What remains of the Castle from this period is the main part of the resident buildings, sometimes known as the Sharrington Range.

   Edward Dudley, the son of "Lord Quondam" was restored to the property after Northumberland's death, and in 1575 Queen Elizabeth I visited it. It was considered as a prison for Mary Queen of Scots in 1585, but Fotheringay was selected instead. The last of the Sutton Dudley's to hold Dudley Castle was Frances Dudley. She married Humble Ward. Again, money became a large problem, and the Ward family took control of the Dudley family estates to relieve the family debts. Because of his services to Charles I in the English Civil War, Humble Ward was created Baron Ward of Birmingham in 1644, and Earl of Dudley.

    The last combat the Castle saw was during the English Civil War. The garrison there were besieged two times, and finally surrendered in 1645. To stop the hostilities (in part), Baron Ward arranged a double marriage of his children with the daughter and son of Sir William Bereton, who was the commander of the Parliamentary forces to whom the garrison surrendered, and was then successful in getting his property back. The keep and the gatehouse were ruined, and the Castle was no longer a threat. The castle then stopped being a residence when the Ward's moved to Himley Hall a few miles away.

    The castle was then used for manufacturing (most sources say buckles or buttons), and perhaps because of the kilns or ovens used, most likely was the reason behind the 1750 fire in the castle, which burned for three days, leaving it in the condition it is today.

   William, the 8th Baron Ward, owned the Castle from 1788-1823, and restored some of the ruins and laid out the grounds. It became a recreation park for the people of Dudley, and it, along with the canals and caverns made by limestone mining in the 19th century, became the scene of large plays, and other entertainments. In 1937 Dudley Zoo was opened, in part to make use of the hill and other surface working, and the land leading to the castle became the open air pits for the animals.

    A restoration project began in 1979, and today Dudley Castle is a tourist attraction for the town (population 300,400 as of 1991), and hosts pageants often. There is a large Zoo at its base, and is quite popular.